Entering his second season in the National Football League, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder is currently the fourth-best quarterback on the fourth-best team in the NFC North. That hasn't stopped him from setting lofty goals for both the Vikings and himself.

Ponder is talking playoffs for a team that went 3-13 a season ago, and plans to have an otherworldly completion percentage on early downs for himself this season.

Harrison: Power Rankings

With preseason action heating up,
Elliot Harrison delivers his first Power Rankings since the
2012 NFL Draft.
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"In our minds, we have a good team," Ponder said Wednesday, via Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. "Obviously, we've still got a lot of things to get better at in the next two weeks. Last year, we were in so many games. Could have easily been 10-6 instead of 3-13. That's a good sign. We were close last year, and we're only going to get better this year."

The consensus is that the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears are playoff-caliber teams, with each franchise making the postseason at least once in the last two seasons. The Vikings should be improved, perhaps not enough to make the playoffs, but what else is Ponder supposed to say?